Many office environments utilize drop ceilings, and small power poles or columns often project downwardly from the drop ceiling to permit power or telecommunication cables to be fed downwardly therealong into work areas disposed adjacent the floor. However, these power poles or columns typically have the upper ends disposed for cooperation with the drop ceiling, and thus the power pole itself has little structural integrity or strength, and the work stations or areas are typically defined by other structural elements such as panels and the like.
With the more recent trend toward the utilization of more open work stations and working regions, and less reliance on panels, there is a need to be able to provide structural support for various components which are used in the working area, including various types of panels and other upright furniture components. There is also a need to permit, under some circumstances, the downward feeding of cables from the ceiling.
This invention relates to an extendible and contractible support pole or column which is intended to be readily positionable and relocatable so as to be clampingly engaged with and extend vertically between the floor and a ceiling, with the upper portion of the pole assembly having a releasable clamping structure which is normally disposed above the drop ceiling and permits the pole assembly to be readily extended and disposed in snug clamping engagement at upper and lower ends thereof with the respective fixed ceiling and floor. The column assembly is provided with structural flanges extending longitudinally therealong to permit other components such as clamps or brackets to be attached thereto so as to permit other office accessories to be mounted in association therewith.
Other objects and purposes of the invention will be apparent to persons familiar with structures of this type upon reading the following specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings.